Game Design Choices
Unova-only Pokédex: Excluding pre-Gen V Pokémon until post-game frustrated fans, limiting team choices (Reddit, 2023).
Controversial Designs: Pokémon like Trubbish (trash bag) and Vanillite (ice cream) were seen as silly or unappealing (Quora, 2019; Reddit, 2023).
Lack of Innovation: Some felt the games didn’t evolve enough on DS, with features like EXP share and grinding seen as underwhelming (Screen Rant, 2022).
Timing and Technical Issues
Near 3DS Launch: Released just before the 3DS (March 2011), the DS-based games felt outdated (ResetEra, 2021).
Outdated Visuals: Pixelated sprites were criticized as ugly compared to expectations for 3D (Reddit, 2023; SplicedOnline, 2025).
Difficulty/EXP Issues: Difficulty spikes (e.g., post-N battles) and tough EXP scaling made grinding harder (Reddit, 2023).
Trading Frustrations: The Global Trade Station had unreasonable demands, like a level 10 Reshiram for a Braviary (Reddit, 2023).
Story and Gameplay
Heavy Storyline: Team Plasma’s moral themes felt preachy or forced to some (Reddit, 2023; Kill Screen, 2011).
Linear Gameplay: The map was too linear with excessive dialogue, feeling restrictive (Reddit, 2023).
Fewer Water/Fire Types: Limited type diversity frustrated some players (Reddit, 2023).
